Breville Sous Chef Review BFP800XL

The Breville Sous Chef food processor is a powerful workhorse loaded with features. This 16 cup, 1200 Watt processor is high quality, built to last, easy to use, easy to clean, performs well on everything, and consumers absolutely love it. Out of the box it comes with every bowl, blade, and disc made for this model, including specialty discs, plus a storage case for all the accessories. You just can’t go wrong with this … or can you?

Fact is, this model is one of the more expensive food processors on the market, and it is not suited for everyone or every kitchen. It might be your dream come true, but for some it can be total overkill. Below you’ll find all the details to help you decide whether it’s the best food processor for you.

NOTE: This review applies to Breville BFP800 series that includes model numbers BFP800XL, BFP800BSXL, and BFP800CBXL. The three models are identical except for color: Stainless Steel (BFP800XL), Black Sesame (BFP800BSXL), and Cranberry Red (BFP800CBXL).

A Quick Video Overview of the Breville Sous Chef Food Processor

The Good News

Why the Sous Chef Earns Such High Praise

Capacity

The Breville Sous Chef certainly delivers on capacity. Its 16 cup work bowl is huge, about the largest you’ll find on a non-commercial unit. That’s a big advantage for gardeners at harvest time or anyone who does a lot of food prep. Any good food processor does its job very quickly, but this large work bowl doesn’t have to be emptied as often, so batch processing will go faster for you.

The large capacity is also great if you process a lot of thin soups because like with all food processors, you can’t fill the bowl to capacity with liquids.

Another help is the extra wide feed chute. It measures 5.5 inches to allow for feeding more food at a time as well as very large items. You don’t have to spend as much time cutting potatoes or onions or cabbage into chunks small enough to fit the feed tube.

Power

With the ability to handle that much capacity, you need plenty of power, and the Sous Chef doesn’t disappoint. Its 1200 Watt motor makes this unit a top performer when it comes to slicing potatoes and other firmer vegetables. It also handles kneading dough without jumping around the counter, and you don’t have to worry about bogging it down.

In fact, all that power makes it easy to over process until you get used to it. If you’ve been using a smaller processor for a while, be prepared to start out using only the pulse speed as you experiment and learn how fast it works. Otherwise, those chopped veggies you wanted for dinner might end up as baby food instead.

Also note that there have been complaints of the spindle getting hot enough to melt the bowl cover. This is not a common complaint, and some cases appear to be user error. Be sure to read instructions, especially on kneading bread dough.

Versatility

When it comes to the ability to perform all kinds of tasks on all kinds of foods, the Sous Chef is hard to beat. There is nothing extra to buy because every available accessory comes with the unit. The combination of both super wide and small feed chutes, plus a big variety of blades and discs, makes the machine capable of accommodating quite a range of food shapes and sizes while also producing the best results.

For standard chopping, mixing and slicing jobs, this model performs very well and is extremely fast. There is only one slicing disc, but it is adjustable from 8mm all the way down to 0.33mm, from thick slices down to sliver thin. It’s designed to work on food such as fruits, vegetables, cheese, chocolate, and deli meats. Just be aware that you might experience slight variations in those settings due to the type of food and the amount of pressure you apply to the pusher.

The large chopping blade is a micro-serrated S blade. A few online videos have caused some confusion about this blade, so to be sure you understand what you’re getting, see our note below about the large chopping/mixing blade.

The shredding disc is reversible (coarse or fine), and the other specialty discs are the French Fry Disc, Julienne Disc (smaller strips than french fries), and the Whisking Disc. It may be worth noting that throughout the user manual the Whisking Disc is referred to as the “Emulsion Disc”. In fact, this is the disc used for making mayonnaise, but it is also capable of whipping up stiff egg whites. Just be aware that it only works with the large work bowl, and you’ll have to use a minimum of 6 egg whites. That’s a lot of meringue, so if you have a mixer, don’t plan on throwing it out just yet.

Reasonably Priced Replacement Parts

While it seems odd to mention replacement parts for a brand new product, this is definitely worth thinking about for the long term. This unit’s motor carries a 25 year warranty. It stands to reason that your bowls and discs won’t last that long, especially with heavy use. Over the years you may need to buy new parts, and that’s something worth factoring in when you’re comparison shopping.

Replacement parts for the Breville are very reasonable, much more so than what many other brands charge. To give you an idea, the little chart below shows the prices of a few parts for the Breville Sous Chef and the Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY 14 Cup Food Processor. These prices are rounded up to the nearest dollar and are the lowest found at time of this publishing.

Replacement part:

Breville Sous Chef

Cuisinart FP-14

Large Work Bowl

$35 (16 Cup)

$46 (14 Cup)

Work Bowl Cover (lid)

$17

$36

Pusher for Feed Chute

$5

$12

There isn’t a lot of difference in the work bowls, though it’s interesting that the Breville is 2 cups larger yet costs $11 less. But wow, look at the difference in prices of the lids and pushers! The lid is probably the easiest part to damage. (What are the chances of it surviving being dropped on a ceramic tile floor?) Over time the cost of replacement parts could add up. Besides that, one thing you run into with cheaper models is that replacing more than one part can cost almost as much as buying a whole new food processor.

Rave Reviews

…complaints are rare and praise is abundant…

As you’ll see below under Customer Reviews, complaints are rare and praise is abundant. In addition to that, the Breville Sous Chef has been rated the top choice by such prestigious places as Good Housekeeping and Consumer Reports. Both of those ratings were awarded in 2012, and they still stand.

However, you should also know that another respected source disagreed, not on quality but on value for the dollar. That brings us to the reasons this model might not be your top choice either – next up, the “bad” news.

The Bad News

UPDATE 2018: Initially, the lowest price you could find on a Breville Sous Chef BFP800XL was $400. That cost is now lower – you can usually find the stainless steel color model for less than $375.

Is it worth the money?

The answer to that is, it’s all about you. The Sous Chef offers the best in
capacity, power, and versatility, but the fact is that everyone doesn’t want or need top of the line features or performance.

That was the opinion of America’s Test Kitchen. In their 2013 review they found no fault with the Breville Sous Chef but felt that its extra features didn’t necessarily justify its price tag. (See more info about this below.)

It boils down to the difference between what average and heavy users expect and want. If you’ve never owned a food processor, or if you’re considering the Sous Chef as a major upgrade, give serious thought to which of the many tasks you will actually do, or not do. The basics are chopping, mixing, slicing, and grating, and you can find models that perform those tasks well and cost a lot less. Beyond that you might ask yourself questions such as:

Do you often cook for lots of people or enjoy making recipes in double batches?

Will you use your processor several times a week, or only monthly?

Will you use the Julienne or other specialty discs often, or ever?

The power of the Sous Chef makes it incredibly strong and fast, but does that matter to you? Speed is important for big jobs, like when you need to slice a bushel of squash from your garden. Strength matters most for tasks such as kneading bread dough or double batches of pizza dough.

If the capabilities of the Sous Chef have you drooling, then by all means go for it! On the other hand, you won’t get any benefit from features you never use. There is no question that this is one of the most versatile models on the market, but casual users could quickly reach the point of diminishing returns.

What are the Drawbacks

As for quality or design flaws, it’s hard to find a lot of bad points about the Breville Sous Chef. There are, however, some drawbacks you should be aware of before you buy.

Size and Weight: This model is very big, and it’s very heavy. To decide whether the size is more than you’re able or willing to accommodate, jump down and read the info under Size and Capacity.

Cleaning: The bowls, lid, discs and blades are dishwasher safe on the top rack only, but there’s one very important caveat to that. Following is a direct quote from the “Care, Cleaning & Storage” section of the user manual:

“The plastic parts may occasionally be washed in the dishwasher (top shelf only). It is not recommended on a regular basis, as prolonged exposure to hot water temperatures and harsh detergents will damage and shorten the life of the plastic.”

If you’re horrified at the thought of hand washing anything, ever, that might be a big turnoff for you. Research turned up numerous reports from owners about the large work bowl developing a crack. If it is still under warranty Breville will replace it, but the problem is that the part is very often out of stock – which might be an indication that cracked bowls are a common problem. You might note that the bowl does not contain BPA, and eliminating BPA makes the plastic weaker.

Drizzle Hole: Another minor detail you might want to know is that there is no “drizzle hole”. For mayonnaise, you process using the emulsifying disc (Whisking Disc) and, with the motor running, slowly add oil through the small feed chute. Again, only you can decide whether this is trivial or something worth factoring into your decision.

Size and Capacity

Unit Size

As you might expect in a machine that has such a large processing capacity, this unit is big. Assembled, it measures 10.2″ x 8″ x 17.8″, so you’ll need ample counter space and clearance for any overhanging cabinets.

The Sous Chef is also very heavy, weighing in at approximately 26 pounds. Considering the size and weight, it’s wise to plan ahead for where you will use and store the unit. Even if you have plenty of cabinet space, will it be feasible for you to lug it across the kitchen before and after every use?

Also, don’t forget about the accessory box. It measures 9.5″(L) x 12″(W) x 7.75″(H), so that takes up a little more room. However, it doesn’t have to sit flat. It’s made so that you can store it upright on its back to save space on your counter or in the cabinet.

Having cooked in a tiny little galley kitchen, I can tell you that this food processor would be a little overwhelming on such limited counter space. Add to that the storage box for accessories, and it really eats up a lot of room. Even so, it’s all about priorities.

It reminds me of a story I heard years ago from a piano tuner. A young couple desperately wanted a baby grand piano but had no room for it it their tiny apartment. They also weren’t interested in moving to a larger home at that point. Instead, they got rid of their dining table, replaced it with the baby grand, bought bar stools, and let the piano double for their table.

Just goes to show that if something is important enough to you, there might be some way to make it work. Only you can decide! To test it out, you might try finding a box about the size of the Sous Chef and sit it on your counter for a while to see if you can really live with that lost space.

Processing Capacity

This unit includes two work bowls, and the total capacity of each is:

Large bowl – 16 Cups

Small Bowl – 2.5 Cups

The large bowl is great for all sorts of really big jobs, but do be aware that its total usable capacity will depend on what you’re processing. The main limitation is with processing liquids or semi-liquids. For example, while the total capacity of the largest bowl is 16 cups, the maximum amount of liquid you can process is 12 cups.

The mini bowl is designed for processing very small quantities, for instance when you need to chop garlic or ginger or make bread crumbs for a recipe. It’s very small, but it has a deep, narrow design so you get more uniform results when mincing foods.

The Sous Chef also includes a built-in timer that will count up or count down. If you’ve owned other food processors, one thing you’ll have to get used to with the Sous Chef is its incredible power. It’s so strong and fast that it’s very easy to over process. For that reason, the timer could come in handy for new users. When it is not set, the timer automatically counts up during processing. By observing as you work, you can learn how much processing time is required for various foods – and more importantly with this unit, how much is too much.

This guide gives you clear, up-close views of the various parts, explains exactly how everything works, and provides a quick reference chart showing which blades or discs to use processing different foods. The booklet even includes 12 pages of recipes.

If you still have questions and can’t find an answer anywhere else, you can send an email to the address shown inside the book: askus@brevilleusa.com

* Important Note About the Large Chopping/Mixing Blade

There is some confusion about this blade because there are videos on YouTube from Australia (where the Breville Sous Chef is designed). Those videos show the Australian version of the Sous Chef with its “quad” blade. That quad blade is NOT included with or available for the U.S. version of the unit. The U.S. version has a smaller motor to accommodate the voltage loss from 220 to 120, and the quad blade is for the 220V unit only.

The large chopping/mixing blade included with the U.S. unit looks like the one pictured at right. It is a dual blade with one side set lower than the other, and according to the manufacturer, both the U.S. and Australian units process comparably.

Optional Accessories

There aren’t any. I looked everywhere just to be sure. That isn’t surprising because out of the box the Sous Chef will do just about everything except brush your teeth for you. Actually this is welcome news because once you decide to make the investment in this food processor, you’re done. You won’t have to wish you could splurge on some extra blade or disc to do one specialty job. Unlike most other models, this one even includes Julienne and Whisk discs.

Customer Reviews

What are the common complaints?

If you do further research on this model be sure to pay attention to the date on information you find. Originally, there was a design flaw in the Sous Chef that made it impossible to grate hard cheese without damaging or breaking the work bowl. That flaw has long since been corrected, and the incident says a lot about Breville customer service. As soon as the problem was reported, Breville immediately started redesigning the unit, and in the meantime they changed their owner’s manual to warn users not to grate hard cheese. They quickly solved the problem with a new work bowl, lid, and disc, and these newly designed parts were shipped free to anyone who had already purchased the unit and wanted them, regardless of whether the original parts were still under warranty.

Back to the point though, any complaints you find about damage related to grating cheese are now irrelevant. That problem was solved a good while back.

The only problem mentioned with any frequency is that of the large work bowl developing a crack over time. Replacement cost is not excessive, but you may have to wait on a backordered part. Keep in mind that the manufacturer recommends that you do not clean the bowl in the dishwasher on a regular basis.

Otherwise, legitimate complaints are rare. The few people who report having received a defective unit also reported how quickly the factory shipped a replacement unit. Lots of consumers, and also Good Housekeeping, give Breville high marks for excellent customer service.

If you’re familiar with The Healthy Kitchen Shop you know that every effort is made to find and report anything negative. Our product reviews aren’t “sales pitches” because that doesn’t help you. To make an informed decision, you need to know both the pros and the cons. In the case of the Breville Sous Chef, negative reviews are just very scarce. If you find otherwise we’d love to hear from you, but based on our research, consumer feedback is overwhelmingly positive. In fact, if you buy this model and are disappointed, most likely it will be because you got way more than you needed.

What do owners like about this model?

Consumers who love the Breville Sous Chef are quite enthusiastic with their praise. Their descriptions include phrases like: dream machine; better than I expected; amazing machine; simply the best ever; couldn’t be happier. It goes on and on, and some even compared it (relatively speaking) to a Bentley and a Porsche.

Favorite features most often mentioned include:

Sturdy, built to last

Powerful yet quiet

Amazingly fast

Does every job well

Large array of attachments included

Excellent customer service

Slices so good it will replace your mandoline

Keep in mind that the last item on the list is taken from customer comments. It’s probably not a good idea to toss your mandoline until you try the Sous Chef for yourself!

Overall, purchasers of this model are extremely satisfied. This is one of the best selling food processors on the market, and its consumer approval is higher than any I’ve seen. As of July 2018, there are now well over 1,000 online reviews, and the overall average customer rating remains extremely high. See the Breville Sous Chef on Amazon and read customer reviews there.

Best Price

The Breville Sous Chef comes in three colors – Cranberry Red, Black Sesame or Stainless Steel. Note that you may be able to save some money depending on the color you choose.

When you click the link below you will land on a page that shows the stainless steel color model, but you’ll also see the other two color choices. Click on the different colored images to see the price of each.

Breville Sous Chef Review BFP800XL: Summary

This food processor isn’t for everyone. The cost may simply be more than you’re willing to spend, or the size and weight may not be suitable for you. As well, a lot of “average” users won’t ever need this level of power or variety of features. What is a dream machine for some could actually be overkill for others.

The Breville Sous Chef BFP800XL is for frequent and heavy food processor users and serious cooks. For this group, the extra power and features make it worth the investment. Complaints are few and far between, and overall it gets the highest ratings of any comparable model available. Add to that good customer service, an excellent warranty, and reasonably priced replacement parts, and it’s a winner all around.

Obviously, the total capacity is somewhat smaller, but this is a powerful machine that performs very well and costs about half what you would pay for the Breville. In fact, America’s Test Kitchen chose the Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY model as their top pick in food processors. After comparison testing, here’s what they said in their 2013 review:

“The Breville performed solidly and efficiently, but we’re not convinced that its extra features are worth an additional $200.” … “After running 12 tests (everything from making a double batch of pizza dough to slicing tomatoes), we believe the Cuisinart is still the best choice.”(Source: America’s Test Kitchen Note: The price of the Breville has come down since then.)

You are absolutely correct! I’m the one who is wrong, and please accept my sincere apology. I work very hard to make sure everything is accurate before it goes to print, but I completely missed this error. Darn it, maybe I’m only human after all.

I have edited the above review to correct that statement, and hopefully to clarify. Personally, I recommend reading the reviews on both of those Cuisinart models before buying because deciding which one is the best value depends entirely on the user. There is no point in paying extra for discs that will never be used. Yet despite that, some will decide that the improved design features are worth the extra cost for the Elite model (and even the higher priced Elite model is still considerably less expensive than the Breville Sous Chef).

Thank you so much for your comment. I’m horrified at my mistake but delighted that you made me aware of it so I could get it corrected.

I have read several reviews on line that have said doing dough in this machine was not very good, the dough didn’t taste good…did you actually use it for that? Do a search and you’ll see what I mean….I liked you review as I didn’t see some of the things you mentioned on other reviews like needing a min. of 8 eggs, WOW!… AND you can only use the large bowl… bummer! These should both be listed under your negatives list!

Thanks so much for your comments! On balance I have not seen lots of complaints about dough taste, but the most comprehensive is this one on Amazon. This is a Vine review (meaning the person received the product free in exchange for writing the review), and it gives details about processing dough in the Breville Sous Chef as compared to using the Cuisinart FP-14DC Elite. Initially, the reviewer was not pleased with the Breville. However, a later update explains that after more experience with the Breville, the taste and texture of dough was fine. This seems to fall right inline with other complaints about the Breville. That is, what people think is a problem in the beginning turns out to be a matter of learning how to use this food processor. It’s a very powerful machine, so even for experienced users, it may require a little experimenting to perfect certain tasks.

I love your comment about “8 eggs minimum” being a drawback. I’m sure others will agree, so thanks for pointing that out just in case they may have missed it. At the same time though, I hesitate to list some things as negatives because in other cases, that’s exactly what people are looking for! As mentioned in the review above, the Breville Sous Chef may be ideal for power users, but it may also be more than some people need or want.

I’m so glad you found this review helpful, and I hope this additional information helps you decide which food processor is right for you.

I appreciate the wonderful review. It has been very helpful. I have only one concern. Are you aware of the issues that some reviewers have had with the lid melting and the spindle getting very hot? I want to buy this food processor but I am concerned about this. Did Breville address this issue with the updated design? Is there a bearing or bushing in the lid to prevent this for occurring again?
Thanks

Thanks so much for your kind words! After re-researching all the available data, my opinion is that this could be a valid concern but is not a common problem. I’m also not convinced that it could be considered a design flaw. Here’s why…

Out of just over 900 online reviews I found only 10 reports of lids melting, plus two more complaints about the spindle getting hot (but not melting the lid). Further reading reveals some important keys:

One owner mentioned the motor becoming quite noisy before overheating occurred. Another said her unit made such an extremely loud whining noise that her husband raced into the kitchen in alarm. These sound like defective units caused the problem.

A number of those who experienced the melting lid were kneading dough at the time. One of them specifically stated that the lid melted “after 3 minutes”. In these cases, the problem could well be user error in either overloading the work bowl or over processing. The Breville manual says “Some stiff mixtures, such as dough, may cause the processing blade to rotate more slowly than normal. If this happens, do not process for longer than 1 minute.”

We do know that Breville corrected a previous design flaw (an issue with grating hard cheese, covered in the review above). Therefore it would seem that if the melting problem was legitimate and common enough, the company would address it.

What I do see are many instances of people “over doing it”. Just because the Breville is super powerful, that doesn’t mean you can push it to the point of putting the motor in a bind. In fact, that power makes it work very fast, so the processing time you need may be much shorter than you expect.

On balance, these seem to be isolated cases that can be attributed to either misuse or, in some cases, a defective machine. For me that’s not a deal breaker, but for you and your money, it’s your judgment call! I do hope this extra information will help you decide.

Thank you so much for visiting The Healthy Kitchen Shop!

Susan

UPDATE 2018: With over 1,100 online reviews now, there are still only those few reports of overheating. This does appear to be a problem that results from misuse. Most of us hate reading instructions, but in this case you really should.

I have trouble cleaning the adjustable slicing blade on my 16 cup Breville. Little bits of food get stuck in the end of the blade nearest the outside edge. I poke about with a toothpick and run it under a spray of water but am never sure if I’ve gotten everything out . There is a bit of a tunnel all along the inside of the blade that you can’t see or get into. Besides taking extra time to clean I am anxious that there could be spoiled food in there …. thus contaminating the food. Am I supposed to take something apart to get in there?

I would suggest that you contact Breville customer service and discuss this issue with them. Be sure you know the exact model number of your unit because that will help them understand, and see what they recommend. There is a cleaning brush included with most models, and it is designed to help get into tight crevices such as what you’re referencing.

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About The Healthy Kitchen Shop

I love delicious food! But sadly, so much of it is full of preservatives, pesticides, and who-knows-what-else. I deserve better, don't you!

My mission is to eat healthier, and I look for great products to help me out. That involves tons of research, and hopefully I can save you some time. My goal is to help you get all the information you need so that you can feel confident you'll be satisfied with the product you choose. You need details, and The Healthy Kitchen Shop's got 'em!

Thanks for visiting!

Susan

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UPDATE Feb. 2018: This model has been discontinued. It is still available on Amazon from third party sellers, but the price is outrageous.
What we suggest instead:
Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY 14-Cup Food … [Read More...]

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